


Losing Hope (And Sanity)

by dragontooth52



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Horrortale, HorrorTale, Papyrus slowly looses himself, Papyrus-centric, The world is slowly falling into the Horrortale world we know, This story will probably be contradicted by the Horrortale comic but whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-09-11 03:00:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 15,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8951233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragontooth52/pseuds/dragontooth52
Summary: After the death of King Asgore (a neutral timeline), Undyne becomes the empress. But when no RESET comes, the Underground slowly begins to starve. Monsters become true monsters as they struggle for survival, eating anything and everything as a means to prolong their lives.Undyne is doing nothing to prevent this - in fact her rule becomes more and more of an awful dictatorship. How are our two favourite font-named skeletons doing? After an encounter with Undyne, Sans starts to change too, leaving Papyrus as possibly the only sane monster left in the Underground.But how long can he last?Horrortale belongs to SourAppleStudios. Undertale belongs to Toby Fox. I own neither.WARNING: Some swearing, cannibalismish stuff, violence and so forth. I mean, the AU is called HORRORtale, so. . .





	1. Setting the Scene

I paced the room nervously, back and forth back and forth, as I waited for the door to open and my brother to return. My jawbone still ached from yesterday, when… no. I didn’t want to think about it. I subconsciously ran a hand along where my teeth had been. The sore, blood-stained bones stung from the contact and I let my gloved hand drop back to my side.

Sans would be home soon. As always, I had given food to all the monsters in Snowdin, although the meals was getting smaller every day. The rations would come soon, Sans said. He had gone to see Undyne, so maybe he was getting more food for us.

The other monsters were hungry, too. They were hungrier than us - that's why I had taken it upon myself, as the Great Papyrus, to feed them all. But things were changing as food became rarer. I knew they were just trying to survive, but the other monsters were starting to scare me a bit. Why did they have red stains on them all the time? Why did they smell like rotting meat? I had no idea. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Instead I tried to give them all the food we could. I could afford to go hungry for a few more days. As Sans always said, food goes ‘ _right through us’_ anyway. Even the bad joke couldn’t ease my nerves. Before yesterday, I wouldn’t have believed Undyne would hurt him. I wouldn’t have believed Undyne would hurt anyone. Not like that.

She had her own way of ruling, yes, but she was trying to do what was best for everyone in the Underground, wasn’t she? But when I didn’t kill that human yesterday… when Undyne found me and the small child outside Snowdin. I never even imagined she could be so cruel.

I rubbed my sore jawbone again. Where was Sans? Surely he would be back soon. He had been gone all day. Surely it couldn’t take that long to talk to Undyne. What if Undyne had hurt him like she had hurt me?

 _That won’t happen_ , I told myself. The only sound, outside my thoughts, was the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of my feet on the floor as I continued to pace. Longing for some noise, for something familiar, I sat down on the couch and turned on the television. As always, Mettaton was on, but there was something strange. This wasn’t a new show. The TV was showing an old film of Metatton. The robot was cooking a cake, with the main ingredient of human.

I noticed the assistant of the robot was the little human that Sans and I had once known. That felt so long ago. Actually… it may have been years ago. I wasn’t sure. I lost count of how many days it had been since the human left long ago. Suddenly the door clicked open and my brother stepped into the room.

Straight away, I could tell something was wrong. His hood was drawn up over his head, the fur almost covering his eye sockets. One eye socket was black, and strangely empty looking. I thought I could see the back of his skull through the socket. The other had a blood-red pupil that was blown hugely out of proportion instead of the usual eye-light. He was smiling broadly, as if nothing was wrong.

My own eye sockets hurt to look at the horrifying eye, so they scanned the rest of my brother’s body. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. He looked normal enough, except the white shirt he wore under his jacket was stained red.

As the door clicked shut behind him, I switched of the television and stood up. “SANS, WHAT T-TOOK YOU S-SO LONG?”

Why was I stuttering? I wasn't scared . . . was I? Sans walked up to the couch and flopped down onto it. “i told you, i was talking to ‘queen’ undyne. i guess i just had a _bone to pick_ with her. heh.”

“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?” I asked, staring again at Sans’s red eye. My brother reached up with one hand and poked his fingers gingerly into his empty-looking eye socket.

“aw, didn’t you find my pun _humerus_?” Sans was clearly trying to avoid the subject. I wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help my brother, although this line of conversation didn't seem to be going anywhere.

“I REFUSE TO ANSWER THAT HONESTY, ALTHOUGH HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY!" I announced. Then paused before offering, "I HAVE A BIT OF FOOD LEFT, SO IF YOU ARE HUNGRY…”

“have you eaten, paps?” Sans asked.

“WELL-”

“eat. i’ll get us some more food for tomorrow.” Sans interrupted. I was going to protest, but with Sans’s red eye focused on me, I felt like it would be a bad idea. Instead, I walked to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, retrieving a small container of pre-made spaghetti. I heated it up and split it between two plates, placing them on the table.

Sans got up and walked over to the table. He sat down and waited for me to start eating before he picked up his fork. When I was finished, I became aware of a strange ta-ta-ta-ta-tap noise repeating over and over.

Looking around, I caught sight of Sans. He had also finished eating and was staring at me unblinkingly with his red eye. His head was propped up on one hand, and the other lay on the table, fingers tapping against the wood over and over. I stiffened myself against the shudder that the noise started in my spine.

I wasn’t sure why it made me feel so uncomfortable. I cleaned up the dishes, and Sans just sat there, watching me unblinkingly. It increased the feeling of wrongness. His hood was still up, partly shadowing his face. _Ta-ta-ta-ta-tap. Ta-ta-ta-ta-tap._

“S-SANS.” I quavered. “CAN YOU PLEASE S-STOP TAPPING.”

Something about him… everything about him… made me incredibly nervous. Which was odd, because Sans never made me feel nervous. He was too lazy to make me feel anything other than mildly annoyed! He smiled wider and said. “huh? oh, sure, pap.”

For a few minutes everything was quiet. Neither of us talked, and there was no other sound in or outside the house. Then Sans’s fingers began drumming again. I stacked the plates in their place and turned to find Sans had finally returned to the couch. I walked over to him cautiously.

“S-SANS, YOU TRUST ME, DON’T YOU?” I asked.

He looked up at me, surprised. “of course bro.”

“AND… AND YOU WOULD TELL ME ANYTHING, RIGHT?” I asked.

Sans’s red eye was trained on my face, and he replied. “yeah, sure.”

“SO YOU’LL TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, RIGHT?” I asked.

Sans blinked with the eye socket with the red eye. The other seemed not to be working. “what’d ya mean?”

“YOUR EYE… IT’S RED. THAT IS NOT NORMAL, SANS. AND THE OTHER ISN’T WORKING. I AM VERY WORRIED. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU TALKED TO UNDYNE?” I asked again.

“heh… nothing. i told you, i just had a _bone to pick_ with her.” Sans shrugged.

“SANS. NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES.” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “PLEASE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.”

“the queen and i… we had a little disagreement.” Sans said, red eye fliting up to the ceiling. “guess we didn’t really see eye to eye-socket. but the past is in the past, right?”

“YOU FOUGHT THE QUEEN?” I asked in horror. No one fought Undyne and lived.

“eh, not exactly.” Sans shrugged. “undick doesn’t have the nerve to fight fair.”

“SANS, LANGUAGE!” I had never heard Sans swear, in fact I had never heard anyone swear until everyone started going hungry, so I hardly grasped the meaning of that word. Sans didn’t reply, and when I looked at him, the eye socket with his red eye had closed. The empty one seemed stuck open, however, as he started snoring softly.

“WELL, WE’LL TALK AGAIN TOMORROW.” I announced, mostly to the room, as Sans was asleep.


	2. Funny Meat and Knock Knock Jokes

“SANS?!” I called. “BROTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?”

When I had woken up my brother hadn’t been anywhere in sight. He seemed to have disappeared completely. His room was unlocked, surprisingly, and empty. The couch was cold, it seemed that he had left a while ago. The rest of the house seemed untouched. In fact. . . other than his own room, there wasn't so much as a dirty sock to prove Sans lived in the house.

“SANS?” I called one more time. But I wasn’t expecting a reply. After all, the house was clearly empty.

I went into the kitchen, looking through the fridge in a half-hoping attempt to find something to eat. There was nothing. I saw down on the couch and switched on MTT, hoping that the robot’s program would calm my nerves. Once again, it was an old show. I wondered where Mettaton was now.

 _I hope he is alright, and not suffering due to some unfair reason_. I thought worriedly.

Finally, the door swung open and Sans walked into the house. He closed the door behind him, grinning wide enough to split his face in two. He still had his hood up, which I found slightly unnerving, and one eye was still red, the other blank and empty. His clothes were stained in the same red as other monsters. In one of his red-stained hands he held a large, paper-wrapped package.

“SANS! WHERE WERE YOU?” I rushed over to him. “I THOUGHT YOU MAY HAVE BEEN HURT!”

“i’m fine.” He shrugged, walking past me and into the kitchen. I wasn’t sure why, but the fact he didn’t meet my eyes seemed wrong. Sans always looked me in the eyes when he said something important. “i just decided to check up on your tr- puzzles. after all, we have a ton of work to do around here. a _skele-ton_.”

"UGH! THAT WAS AWFUL!" Even with everything being so strange, Sans was still telling puns? I hardly thought it was appropriate, but I wanted to figure out where he had been, so I mostly ignored the pun. “WELL, THANK YOU. BUT I’M SURPRISED YOU GOT UP SO EARLY.”

“hey, i got somethin’ that’ll cheer you up.” Sans said, not answering my unspoken question. “got us some food from the capital. you should cook it up and eat it. now.”

“THAT IS VERY KIND OF YOU SANS!” I said happily. Sans getting supplies was something he had done before, something comforting and familiar. “NOW WE CAN ALSO FEED THE OTHER CITIZENS OF SNOWDIN.”

I was expecting Sans to agree, the way he had every other time I insisted that we feed the other monsters in Snowdin. But Sans shook his head slowly, red eye glowing, lighting the dim house in an eerie red glow. The other socket remained empty. His hood was still pulled up over his head, giving him an almost menacing look. But I kept telling myself Sans wasn’t menacing. He was just my brother.

“i think you should eat first.” Sans’s voice was strangely soft, almost dangerous. “after all, i put a lot of _sweat and blood_ into getting it.”

He chuckled softly as if he had made a private joke. I swallowed nervously, but replied. “THE REST OF SNOWDIN IS MUCH HUNGRIER THAN ME. AND THEY ALSO DESERVE FOOD. AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IT IS MY DUTY TO TRY AND FEED EVERYONE!”

“NO!” Sans roared suddenly, red eye flashing. “I WORKED HARD TO GET THIS FOOD, YOU WILL FUCKING EAT IT AND YOU WILL BE FUCKING GREATFUL!”

I backed up in shock. I had never seen Sans angry before. I had never heard him yell. And definitely never at me, of all monsters. For the first time, I was not just nervous around Sans, but straight-up terrified of my older brother. I nodded, shaking in my boots, and not trusting myself to speak.

Sans seemed to realise what he had said, because he froze for a few seconds, took a deep breath and said more evenly. “l-look, sorry, papyrus. i just… if you starve, then you won’t be able to help feed the other monsters in snowdin, right? they all need you to eat first, so that you can stay strong and feed them. right?”

I nodded. What Sans said made sense, but the way he suddenly exploded in anger was still stuck in my mind. How could anyone – let alone my relaxed, lazy brother – get so angry for someone being kind to others? It made no sense. Either way, I didn’t want to test Sans’s anger again, so I nodded again, and took the paper package.

I unwrapped it to find fresh meat inside. I wasn’t sure what type of meat it was – for one thing we had never eaten meat before, and for another, it looked like nothing I had ever seen. “W-WHAT IS T-THIS?”

“uh…” Sans sat down on the couch. “beef. yeah, it’s beef.”

“I D-DID NOT KNOW THE CAPITAL HAD B-BEEF.” I tried to prompt Sans into saying more as I prepared the meat.

“the queen doesn’t like to share her supplies.” Sans said.

“SO H-HOW DID YOU GET SOME?” I asked.

“…i have my ways.” Sans eluded.

“YOU S-SAID YOU WOULD TELL ME ANYTHING. AS YOUR BROTHER, I WANT TO H-HELP YOU, SANS.” I said.

“i did say that, yeah.” Sans agreed. “welp, if you really wanna know, I, uh… got it yesterday. i wanted to keep it a surprise for you. heh, yeah, i got to see it when i saw undyne…”

Something about the story seemed wrong, but everything about Sans now seemed wrong, so I let him be. I didn’t want to push him into anger, after all. Eventually the food was ready. I set out two small portions of food, wanting to leave the rest for the others in Snowdin.

Sans walked over to the table and inspected the food. “you need to eat more.”

“I WANT TO SAVE FOOD FOR THE REST OF SNOWDIN.” I explained.

“i can get more food for the rest of snowdin.” Sans growled. “you need to eat more.”

“A-ALRIGHT, BROTHER.” I said, spooning a bit more meat onto my plate. “DO YOU WANT ANY MORE T-TO EAT?”

Sans shook his head. “i’ll be alright. as long as you eat.”

I put the rest of the meat in the fridge and sat down opposite Sans. My mouth, and where my teeth had been, was now numb, and it didn’t hurt to eat, although it was more difficult. We ate the food in silence, only interrupted by the _ta-ta-ta-ta-tap_ of Sans’s fingers. It was, once again, getting on my nerves. But I didn’t want him to be angry at me. I was still terrified of him, although I didn’t want to be.

“anything wrong pap?” Sans asked, when I paused, half way through a mouthful. I didn’t want to admit it was his tapping.

“N-NO. I JUST- THE BEEF DOES NOT TASTE HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD. IT IS MUCH LESS SOFTER THAN I HAD IMAGINED. PERHAPS IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I DID NOT COOK IT PROPERLY, FOR EVEN A GREAT CHEF LIKE ME CAN MAKE MISTAKES.” I said quickly. “YES. THAT’S IT.”

Sans narrowed his one working eye. “hmm.”

“NOT THAT IT’S BAD.” I added quickly. He seemed to relax a bit after that.

Finally we finished eating. I was feeling a little sick where my stomach should be, but I ignored it. It was probably just because I hadn’t eaten beef before. “COME, BROTHER, WE MUST CHECK ON MY PUZZLES! AND LOOK OUT F-FOR HUMANS!”

“yeah, sure bro.” Sans’s answer came a little too quickly. But I ignored it. For once, it seemed he wasn't being a lazy-bones, and was agreeing to go to his sentry station.

I led the way through the forest, recalibrating and resetting all my puzzles and checking for any signs of humans. I couldn’t see any. Eventually, I left Sans at his sentry station, and returned to my station. But I couldn’t concentrate on looking out for humans. Even coming up with new puzzle ideas (ones without the spikes and tripwires Undyne had forced me to add), couldn't distract me. I was too worried about my brother’s strange behaviour.

After a few hours more restless planning, I decided to check on my brother. I made my way to his station, but it was empty. I checked the inside and out, but I couldn’t see anything. Not even a bottle of ketchup. Perhaps I was wrong, and Sans had just agreed to come with me to his station so he could slack off as always? I continued onwards, and eventually caught sight of the large purple door at the end of Snowdin Forest.

At the base of the door, I saw my brother, leaning against it. Nervous, I crept closer, hiding behind the trees that lined both sides of the path. I got within earshot, and hid, hoping to find out why he was there.

“okay, okay, i got one.” Sans was saying. “knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” Another voice, a strangely familiar voice, said.

“iva.”

“Iva who?”

“iva sore hand from knocking, lemme in.”

The other voice burst out laughing, but Sans didn’t. In fact, his voice had seemed to have taken on a dull flat tone that I had never heard while he was telling a joke before. The other voice seemed to notice, too, because they asked. “Sans? Are you alright? You’ve been awfully quiet today.”

“i’m fine.” Sans said. “just got a ton of things on my mind… a _skele-ton_.”

This time the other voice didn’t laugh.

“aw, c’mon, tori.” Sans said. “you usually love that one.”

“Sans, something is wrong with you?” The other voice, Tori, asked.

 _Tori,_ I thought. _That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that name before?_ A long-ago memory surfaced. One where my old friend, Flowery, had told me to bring everyone to Asgore's castle. _That's where I heard the name. . . Oh, I know! That must be Queen Toriel_. Well, ex-queen, since Undyne had driven her out. She must have returned to the Ruins. But why was Sans here, talking to her?

“nah, i’m fine. don’t worry.” Sans said.

“Please, if there is something wrong, tell me.” Toriel’s voice begged.

“there’s nothing wrong, don’t worry.” Sans repeated.

“Alright.” Toriel’s voice said. “But if you ever feel like you-”

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU!” Sans snapped suddenly. “I’M FINE!”

He froze, just like he had after he yelled at me. Then he slumped down even lower in the snow, closing his red eye. The next time Toriel spoke, she sounded shocked, even scared.

“S-Sans. Don’t tell me- not you, too…” She said. Sans didn’t reply.

“Sans.” Toriel continued. “Please, tell me you haven’t become… like them. Tell me you still want to protect the humans, and not- not- oh, Sans…”

Sans still didn’t replied. Finally, he opened his eye and stood up. “welp, gotta go, tori. after all, the law says that i’m meant to be on the lookout for humans… and we all know what happens when you challenge the law.”

“Sans…” Toriel’s voice said weakly. “Tell me what happened… why you’re now different. Please tell me you are not going to…”

“bye tori.” Sans said, turning back to the path. I realised he was heading back to his station, and I didn’t want to be caught spying on his. I dashed ahead through the trees, until I reached my station. Then I sat there, panting, and trying to process what Toriel and Sans had said.

What had Toriel been talking about? Who was Sans becoming like? Why wouldn’t he want to protect humans? I wasn’t sure. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I was beginning to think that the less I knew, the better, and that even someone as great at helping as I wouldn't have been able to fix things.

But I still wanted to find out what Toriel had been talking about to Sans. Who was Sans becoming like? And why was he so different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun little story. While I was editing this chapter my dad walked in on me searching up what human flesh tastes like. I swear I have never switched tabs faster. The thing that makes this even more hilarious is that I'm a vegetarian. XD
> 
> I'm just lucky he didn't see what I was searching up.


	3. Papyrus and Toriel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's pretty much what it is, Papy speaks to Tori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, it's been too long since I last updated. This is because of three main reasons.
> 
> 1\. Writers block. There isn't much I can say about this. I'm just not happy with what I write.
> 
> 2\. Laziness. I'm sorry, but I'm just too lazy to write this, even though I have nothing better to do with my time.
> 
> 3\. Holidays. Where I live there is a six week holiday and I've been away on vacation with my family.
> 
> I know this is short, but it's better than nothing, right? So enjoy.

Later that day, I went past Sans’s station again, this time with the intent on talking to Toriel. When I passed the station, Sans was slumped over, fast asleep. For once I didn’t want to wake him up, despite his lazy-bones work attitude.

Instead, I headed back to the Ruin’s door and knocked.

“Sans?” A quiet voice said from the other side.

“No, it is I, the great Papyrus. Brother of Sans.” I said. I frowned, when I realised how quiet my voice had become in order to match her soft tone.

“Oh, Papyrus. What a pleasant surprise.” Toriel’s voice said.

“I must speak with you urgently.” I said quietly.

“What about?” She said.

“I overheard you and Sans talking earlier today.” I said.

“And you want to know what we were talking about?” Toriel guessed.

“Ever since he talked to Queen Undyne yesterday, my brother been acting differently.” I whispered. I wasn’t sure why my voice was suddenly so quiet, but I felt like I couldn’t be loud. Not now. “And he has looked different. Very different.”

“What has he looked like?” Toriel’s voice came with surprising urgency.

“He has kept his hood up since then.” I recalled. “But of his eye-sockets have stopped working and it is very scary. And the other is huge and red. It is also very scary. And his smile has changed. He used to smile happily, but now he does not seem as happy. For once, even I do not know the reason behind this… and for the first time this morning, when he had new supplies… it was meat, not spaghetti.”

The only sound for a few minutes were quiet sobs coming from Toriel. Eventually I asked. “Miss Toriel, do you know what is happening to him?”

“Do you know what is happening to the rest of the Underground?” Toriel asked, which did little to answer my question.

“Everyone is always hungry. They all act angrier.” I whispered.

“That is what I thought.” Toriel mused. “Papyrus, you are trying to feed all the monsters, are you not?”

“Of course! As a member of the Royal Guard it is my duty to protect and care for all monsters!” I whispered back. “But can you tell me what is happening?”

“It’s the hunger.” Toriel said. “It makes monsters go mad. I don’t know why Sans changed, but just… be careful around him.”

“I just don’t understand.” I whispered.

"I just wish I could tell you more, Papyrus." Toriel said softly. "But things being as they are and I being so separated from them, I sadly cannot."

"Thank you, Miss Toriel, but I had better be going." I stood up again. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN NOT NEGLECT HIS DUTY AS A ROYAL GUARD FOR ANY GREAT LENGTH OF TIME."


	4. Sans, Papy and an Icecap

“hey paps. you’re home early.” Sans’s red eye was half closed, the empty one still stuck open.

“OH! YES. YES, I AM.” After talking to Toriel, I had wandered around Snowdin forest, lost in thought, for a few hours, before heading home, although I should still be at my post for another hour or so.

“why’s that?” Sans asked.

“WELL, IT IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU, AND AS YOUR BROTHER WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE ALRIGHT.” I said, then realised what I had just almost-admitted. "THAT REALLY ISN'T THE REASON!"

“okay.” Sans said, closing his red eye again. The other eye sloped closed slightly.

“SANS?” I asked nervously.

“hmm?” He hmmed, eye still closed.

“YOUR EYE… DOES IT WORK?” I asked.

Sans opened his red eye, and reached up one hand and hooked two of his fingers in his eye socket. “not anymore… but that figures…”

“WHY, WHAT HAPPENED?”

“i’ve told you. it was undyne.” Sans shrugged.

“WHAT HAPPENED WITH HER?” I asked.

“don’t worry about it.” Sans said. His hand dropped back to his side, and the other one started taping. He closed his red eye.

“I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU IF YOU WOULD TELL ME? I CAN BE EXCELLENT HELP.” I suggested.

“i don’t need help.” Sans said.

“WHY HAVEN’T YOU PUT YOUR HOOD DOWN SINCE YOU CAME BACK FROM UNDYNE?” I asked.

“we are in snowdin. it’s pretty cold around here, y’know.” He pointed out.

“IT NEVER BOTHERED YOU BEFORE, DOES IT NOW?” I asked.

“don’t worry about it.” Sans grumbled. “go and get yourself something to eat.”

“I WAS GOING TO MAKE MY ROUNDS TO THE REST OF SNOWDIN.” I said, worried that my brother would snap again.

“get yourself something to eat.” Sans repeated, then cracked his eye open and sighed. “if there’s anything left after, you can feed everyone else.”

**\----HAPPY BREAKTIME!!! BROUGHT TO YOU BY MTT TV----**

The next day, I woke up early again. Today, Sans’s door was locked, and I assumed that he was sleeping in there. The beef Sans had given me was almost gone now, and there was hardly enough for breakfast. Remembering Sans’s insistence that I eat, I put the rest of it on a plate and sat down at the table. The meat still tasted as weird as it had last night, but I put it out of my mind as I ate in silence. I wasn’t sure that I was more relaxed, even with Sans’s absence.

Suddenly, I heard his door creak open upstairs, and heard footsteps clumping down the stairs. When I caught sight of my brother, and noticed that his hood was still up. He made his way into the kitchen and paused when he saw me. He looked down at my plate, then back up at me, and smiled. “pap! you’re eating.”

“YES BROTHER.” I said.

“thanks.” He said, grinning as if I had saved his life.

“NO, THANK YOU FOR GETTING THE BEEF.” I said.

“heh, no problem. i bet it was _killing_ you not eating for so long.” Sans grinned as if he had just cracked the funniest joke in the world.

“WILL YOU BE ABLE TO GET MORE FOOD, FOR THE REST OF SNOWDIN?” I asked, somewhat nervously. Luckily, it seemed that seeing me eat seemed to have put Sans in a good mood, and he just nodded absently.

“so, when you’re done, i guess we better get to our stations.” Sans suggested.

“YES!” I agreed, then hesitated. This was another thing that seemed off about Sans. “BROTHER… WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY SO WILLING TO WORK? YOU USED TO BE MUCH LAZIER.”

“heh, yeah.” Sans agreed, but his smile seemed a little false now. “i guess i decided that you were right about work… i need to put a little more _backbone_ into it.”

“THAT WAS AWFUL.” I said, forcing myself to swallow the last mouthful of meat.

“aw, c’mon, you told me that pun in the first place.” Sans protested weakly, then noticed I had finished eating. “welp, clean that up and we best get going.”

I cleaned the plate and put it away, then turned to the door and followed Sans out into Snowdin. The monsters that were normally milling about seemed to have evaporated somewhat, leaving only a fraction of the monsters that had been there before.

After we checked on my puzzles, we headed back towards our stations. But before we could reach Sans’s station, which was closer, a loud shriek erupted through the forest.

“WHAT WAS THAT?” I asked in panic. “IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMEONE WAS HURT!”

“hmm, yeah.” Sans agreed, but he seemed strangely relaxed about the idea. Only two days ago, if someone was hurt, he would have done anything in his power to try and help them. Now he seemed like rescuing them, or even investigating in the noise source, was a huge inconvenience.

“WE NEED TO HELP THEM!” I announced, and dragged Sans into the woods towards the sound of the noise before he could protest.

“hey. HEY! paps let go. stop. argh. papyrus! stop!” His complaints went in one ear-hole and out the other as I tried to find the source of the noise. I felt a brush of fur against my hand, and assumed that the hood of Sans’s jacket had finally fallen off his head.

I stopped to listen for a moment, waiting for another scream. I didn’t hear anything. I felt Sans pull his hand out of my grip and turned around to see him tugging up his hood. He glanced around the wood, taking in our surroundings, and then pointed into the woods to our left. “that way.”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW?” I asked, peering through the trees. I couldn’t see anything.

“just trust me.” Sans said. I grabbed his hand again and pulled him into the woods. After a full minute of rushing through the trees, I thought I caught sight of a shimmer of movement. I rushed towards it, and found a tiny monster with an icicle like hat on its head. An Icecap.

Blood dripped into the snow around on of its feet and I saw a huge metal thing with claw-like teeth clamped around one of its legs. I bent down next to it, and felt Sans do the same next to me.

“OH, NO! WHAT IS THIS? WHO DID THIS TO YOU?” I asked. The little creature just shook it’s head in terror.

“hmm. looks like one of those bear traps humans have.” Sans said.

“NYOO HOO HOO!” I cried. “WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING? WE MUST HELP THE MONSTER AT ONCE!”

“there could be other traps.” Sans said. “how bout this, i free the icecap, you look for other traps. if ya find one, poke a stick in it to deactivate it.”

“VERY WELL, BROTHER!” I agreed, worrying about the other monsters that may be wandering through the forest. I stood and ran off, but watching were I stepped, to avoid stepping in one such trap.

For ten minutes I searched, but found nothing. Eventually I headed back to Sans, who was still at the first trap. The Icecap was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed Sans must have freed it. “DID YOU SAVE THE ICECAP, BROTHER?”

“heh heh, yep.” Sans said, putting his hands into his pockets and smiling. “it wont be stepping into anymore traps any time soon.”

I smiled in relief. “THEN LET’S GET BACK TO OUR STATIONS. IF UNDYNE THINKS WE WERE SLAKING OFF SHE WILL BE VERY MAD.”

“she will.” Sans agreed. “let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm. . . I wonder what happened to that Icecap. I WONDER, SANS.
> 
>  
> 
> What? No, I'm not looking at you. What are you talking about? Of course you weren't involved, did I say that? I didn't say that.


	5. Sans, Papy and Oh that's why you always kept your hood up, so I wouldn't freak out over that giant hole in your head.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papy bonding over how awful Queen Undyne is. Until they don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned from the dead! Sorry for the short chapter, please forgive me, I was lazy.

“SANS, BROTHER, I’M HOME!” I called, closing the door behind me. I saw him, asleep on the couch. His broken eye was half closed, as if he were slowly regaining control of it. He hadn’t stirred when I had called out, so I walked quietly across the room to his side.

“HMM…” I ‘hmm’ed. Now that Sans was asleep, maybe I could find out why he didn’t pull his hood down. It was pulled over his skull, even now. I wouldn’t do anything, I just wanted to look. A look couldn’t hurt, right? I whispered an apology in advance. “Sorry, Sans.”

I reached out a gloved hand and carefully pulled his hood down. And then my other hand came up to my jawbone to muffle a scream. It felt like every bone in my body was shaking in shock. A gaping hole had punched it’s way into Sans’s skull. I could see right into his skull. The hole was huge, stretching along his head and cracking at the edges.

Slowly, as if in a trance, I reached towards the hole. Surely it wasn’t real. It wasn’t really there. It was just an illusion, a trick. Suddenly, Sans’s blood red eye shot open and he stared up at me.

“papyrus?” His voice was the soft dangerous tone I had heard before he yelled at me before.

“I… I’M SORRY, BROTHER! I DIDN’T MEAN TO- I WASN’T- I DIDN’T KNOW!” I said, backing up rapidly.

“yeah, i figured.” Sans said, standing up. “welp, no use hiding that any longer…”

“HOW DID IT HAPPEN?” I asked. “IF YOU DON’T MIND ME ASKING... IF YOU DO THEN PRETEND I SAID NOTHING AND...”

Sans sighed, but didn’t pull his hood back up. If he had looked scary or intimidating before, with his hood up, then he looked absolutely terrifying now with it down. It was just enhanced by the smile that always seemed stuck on his face.

“it was her majesty, ‘queen’ undick, herself.” Sans grumbled.

“HOW COULD SHE?” I asked.

“it was a bit of a _fishy_ situation… but i’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, and say it was an accident.” Sans shrugged, tapping his skull near the hole thoughtfully. “But on the _hole_ , I don’t know how much i forgive her.”

“SANS, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS!” I said. “MAYBE… MAYBE I CAN HEAL YOU?”

“nah, don’t worry about it, bro.” Sans said, shrugging. “save your magic for when we really need it.”

“BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT HURTS.” I protested.

“yeah, well, it’s okay.” Sans shrugged.

“SO IT DOES HURT?” I asked, worried.

“no. let’s just, uh, talk about something else.” Sans’s red eye flashed dangerously, and I knew it was time to stop trying to find out more information. Maybe he would just tell me in time, after all the hole was very recent.

“IS THERE ANY FOOD I CAN GIVE TO THE REST OF SNOWDIN?” I asked trying to change the subject. I hadn’t made any rounds today, and yesterday’s rounds were small.

“yep.” Sans said, grinning broadly. “i managed to get us some more food.”

“OH, THANK YOU, BROTHER!” I said happily, dashing over to the fridge and opening it. Aside from the few packages of spaghetti from the resources that had finally arrived from the Capital, sat several paper-wrapped packages. More beef? I brought them out and unwrapped them, just to be sure. “I’LL COOK THIS UP, AND GIVE THIS OUT TO THE CITIZENS OF SNOWDIN, AND I WILL STILL HAVE ENOUGH FOR US TO EAT!”

“sounds good, paps.” Sans agreed, switching on the television and sitting down again.


	6. Remember That Icecap a Chapter or Two Ago? Because Papyrus Certainly Does.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Papy, things just keep getting more confusing.

“ICECAP?” I called, knocking on the round wooden door. Usually, monsters still opened their doors with a smile when they saw me. And I wanted to speak to the Icecap I had rescued this morning, to see if it was feeling alright. But there was no answer.

“ICECAP ARE YOU IN THERE?” I called again. There was still no reply. In the last… however long it had been since Undyne had become queen, monsters had occasionally disappeared. Alphys, for example, had gone. But Sans had told me she had gone away on holidays. I assumed the other monsters had, too. Maybe to the Capital, although I didn’t see how there could be a relaxing holiday when Undyne was ruling over the Underground with so many rules.

There was still no answer to the door. Icecap wouldn’t have gone on holidays, after all, I had seen him this morning, in that bear trap. I wondered angrily who had put it there. It could hurt innocent monsters! But maybe that was the intention. The thought made me shiver. Instead of continuing the dark train of thoughts, I knocked on the door again.

“ICECAP, IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR, I AM COMING IN, IS THAT OKAY?” I asked. I knew some monsters simply preferred privacy, but they usually at least called out to me when I knocked. Most monsters did not get visitors in Snowdin. There was no reply, so I put down the large (mostly empty now) bowl of cooked meat and pushed on the door with my shoulder.

The door creaked and gave way. I stumbled a few steps before regaining my balance and standing straight inside the house. The room was dark, the lights were off. No light came through the drawn curtains. It was just as cold inside as outside. It seemed almost as if the house had been abandoned since this morning.

“ICECAP?” I asked cautiously. I couldn’t see any movement. I stumbled to a wall and inched along it until I found a light switch. I flicked it on. There was no movement. I explored each room of the house, but there was still nothing. I was left to believe that Icecap wasn’t home…

…and hadn’t been home since this morning. Something had happened to Icecap since Sans and I found it stuck in the ice trap this morning. I left the house, worry and fear creeping along my bones. Maybe Sans would know what had happened?

I picked up the pot of meat and rushed back to our house. I almost broke down our own door as I rushed to get into the living room. As I slammed the door behind me, Sans leapt to his feet, red eye gleaming murderously.

“papyrus? what’s wrong? is there something out there? is it undyne? did she hurt you?” Sans asked, glaring at the door like it was evil.

“N-NO, BROTHER.” I said, catching my breath and processing what Sans had just said. “I WAS MAKING MY ROUNDS… AND ICECAP IS GONE… I DON’T THINK HE’S BEEN HOME SINCE WE SAW HIM THIS MORNING.”

“ah.” Sans said, his eye’s ominous glow fading a little.

“WHY… WHY WOULD YOU THINK UNDYNE WOULD HURT M- …oh.” My last word came little more than a whisper, and I felt my jawbone ache. Yes, now Undyne would hurt me. She had pulled out each of my teeth, one by one. She had caused that huge hole in Sans’s head. She had hurt me and changed my brother.

“WELL, UM…” I tried to think of a way to avoid what I had just said. “LIKE I WAS SAYING… THE ICECAP. WE SHOULD, UM, HELP IT. I DON’T WANT IT TO BE HURT. WHAT IF IT’S OUT IN THE FOREST, LOST AND HURT, STILL?”

Sans shrugged, “i wouldn’t worry about it.”

“WHY- WHY NOT?” I asked.

“you trust me, don’t you?” Sans asked.

I nodded.

“well, then, believe me when i say, the icecap isn’t in pain right now.” Sans said.

“HOW DO YOU KNOW?” I asked.

“trust me.” Sans said.

“REMEMBER WHEN YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD TELL ME ANYTHING?” I prompted.

Sans sighed. “how bout this? it’s just a feeling in my _stomach_. heh.”

“WELL… OKAY.” I said, feeling like I wouldn’t get a better answer. “I HAVE SOME LEFT OVER BEEF FOR US TO EAT, TOO.”

“that’s great.” Sans said. “but i’m not hungry right now. you eat. i’m gonna go and… uh, i’m going out, kay?”

“ALRIGHT.” I said, a little puzzled.

“welp, see ya later.” Sans said, standing and walking out the door, still not bothering to pull his hood up.


	7. Why is Mettaton not Live on T.V.?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of filler content honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh? It's been like a WEEK since I last updated this? I'm so sorry.

Now that Sans was gone, I paced the living room in a tense silence. What was wrong with my brother? I was too stressed to eat, too stressed to do anything but pace. What had changed him? What had Undyne done to him? I had to find out, so I could fix him.

Because this wasn’t Sans. This wasn’t my brother. My brother was kind, caring, funny, lazy and easy going. This Sans isn’t. _If Sans isn’t going to give me any answers, I’ll just have to talk to Undyne when I next see her._ I decided.

Then felt a twinge of dread where my stomach should be. I realised how quiet and still the house was. It smelt faintly of the beef Sans had brought home, which just made me more uncomfortable. I pushed down all my discomfort and dread and sat down to watch some MTT.

Surely seeing the rest of the Underground would help my current state. After all, Snowdin was effected by the lack of food the worst, being so far from the Capital. Everywhere else would be normal. Right?

The static changed to a moving image, and Mettaton became visible.

“Good afternoon, beauties and gentle-beauties!” Mettaton announced. “It’s Wednesday, and we all know what that means! It’s my two hour show on washing hands, darlings!”

“IT’S NOT WEDNESDAY.” I said, although the house was empty. “IS THE TELEVISION BROKEN? METTATON IS ALWAYS LIVE. . .”

 _Except the last time I turned the T.V. on, it was an old episode as well. And the time before that. What’s happened to Mettaton?_ I lifted a gloved hand to rub my jawbone, then turned off the T.V., not wanting to think about it anymore. _If you can’t do anything, don’t think about it_.

 _That sounds like something Sans would say._ The thought made me uncomfortable, but I wasn’t sure why. It was true, right? I couldn’t do anything to change the television programs. Maybe there was a reason that Mettaton wasn’t showing new episodes.

Was he out of inspiration? He never had been before.

Was he broken, and being fixed by Dr Alphys? It was unlikely it would take this long.

Was he unable to make new episodes, or unwilling? That had never happened before. Why would it happen now? But everything else was changing, so why not Mettaton?

“WHY IS EVERYTHING CHANGING?” I wondered aloud. “OH, HUMAN, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO HARM ASGORE? I KNOW, YOU HAD TO, AND IT WOULD SURELY WAS A GREAT BURDAN ON YOU. . . BUT I’M CONFIDENT IF YOU KNEW HOW THINGS WOULD END UP YOU WOULD HAVE DONE IT DIFFERENTLY.”

“don’t be so sure.” Sans’s voice said from the doorway. I leapt to my feet in surprise.

“SANS, YOU ARE BACK.” I exclaimed, “HOW WAS YOUR, UM, WALK?”

“eh, could have been better.” Sans shrugged. “it was pretty quiet, though. there was _snow_ one around.”

“THAT WAS AWFUL.” I said.

“ _chill_ out, paps, i’m just messing with ya.” Sans grinned, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking over to me.

I groaned exaggeratedly. “SANS! STOP!”

“c’mon, there’s no need to be so _frosty_.” Sans said, sitting down and reaching for the remote. He turned it on, and began to absently watch Mettaton’s show. Although it wasn’t new, I sat down and began to watch, too.

I had to admit, doing something familiar with my brother was nice, even though Sans had changed. We had watched Mettaton’s show together every night at one point, before Undyne became the queen.

It was familiar, it made me feel safe and content.

 _Maybe I don’t need to talk to Sans_. I thought. _Or Undyne or anyone. Maybe it will all be okay and nothing will change too much. Maybe everything will be alright._


	8. A letter from Queen Undyne

“WHAT IS THAT, BROTHER?” I leaned over Sans’s back to look at whatever he was hunched over. It was a letter on yellowing paper, with the Delta Rune stamped on the bottom. Sans literally jumped, and spun around, red eye flashing.

He saw me standing behind him and sighed. “ah, nothin’ bro.”

“CAN I SEE IT?” I asked.

“um . . .” Sans glanced around awkwardly, reaching for the paper behind him. He grabbed it with one hand and scrunched it into a ball. “nope, sorry.”

“WHY NOT? IF IT IS NOT IMPORTANT, THEN IT WOULD NOT MATTER IF I READ IT.” I reason. “AND IF IT WAS IMPORTANT, THEN I SHOULD READ IT SO I CAN HELP YOU.”

“um, it was just a, ahem, letter from Undyne.” Sans said nervously. Beads of sweat formed on his skull. “but i’ll try and stop it, don’t worry. she won't hurt yo- anyone this time.”

“STOP WHAT?” I asked, confused.

Sans stuffed the crumpled letter into his pocket. “it isn’t worth worrying about bro. why don’t you go and feed the rest of Snowdin?”

“I WANT TO HELP YOU.” I insisted. “UNDYNE AND I ARE GOOD FRIENDS. VERY GOOD FRIENDS. I THINK WE WERE, AT LEAST. AND I AM A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, SO WHEN IT COMES TO UNDYNE I SHOULD BE GOOD AT HELPING.”

"i don't wanna hurt you." Sans said. "i can't let you talk to Undyne after . . . last time."

Last time. The last time I had seen Undyne had been the day that fallen child had wandered into Snowdin. The day I had tried to help it. The day my teeth had been pulled out of my skull. The day Undyne had changed.

"I- I UNDERSTAND." I admitted. "BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE ME AFRAID OF HER! INSTEAD, I WANT TO HELP HER, AND HELP YOU, PLEASE LET ME COME WITH YOU."

“no papyrus.” Sans shook his head. “it's too dangerous. let’s just hope i can change her mind. i’ll be back by tonight.”

And with that Sans teleported away, leaving me alone and confused. And, for some reason, scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's so short, I've been busy recently. Next chapter will be longer, I promise.


	9. Papyrus discovers the truth I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly longer chapter to make up for last time.

I wasn’t one to sleep late, in fact, that was usually Sans’s job, so when he burst into my room at four in the morning and shook me awake, red eye glowing and sweat drenching the top of his skull, I was extremely alarmed. I hadn't seen him since he teleported away yesterday evening, and I had to assume whatever had happened hadn't went well.

I leapt out of bed almost as soon as my eye sockets opened. “SANS? BROTHER, WHAT’S WRONG?”

“papyrus get up. right now.” Sans demanded.

“I _AM_ UP!” I said. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES NOT SLEEP! I AM ALWAYS READY FOR WHATEVER COMES MY WAY! SO . . . WHAT IS IT?”

“get ready, get to your sentry station. undyne is coming.”

“SHE’S WHAT?” I almost screeched, then took a deep breath. “SHE IS COMING? NOW? BUT IT IS STILL DARK OUTSIDE! ALTHOUGH IT IS ALWAYS DARK OUTSIDE BECAUSE WE LIVE UNDERGROUND. . . THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT! WHY WOULD SHE COME NOW?”

“she wants to check on the royal guard and the sentry stations.” Sans said, pacing the room. “just get ready, paps.”

“OF COURSE!” I agreed. “BUT, UM, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD PREFER TO CHANGE OUT OF HIS FLUFFY BUNNY PYJAMAS IN PRIVACY IF IT WOULD NOT INCONVENIECE YOU.”

“right, of course, yeah.” Sans said. There was a red flash and he disappeared.

“SANS, DO NOT BE SO LAZY!” I yelled. “THERE WAS NO NEED TO USE A SHORTCUT!”

There was no reply, so I walked over and closed the door, then changed into my battle armour. Afterwards I rushed downstairs. There was no food in the fridge, other than a container of spaghetti source I had made yesterday. Sans had promised to get some spaghetti soon. Sans was also missing. He wasn’t in the house, so I could only assume he had gone to his sentry station. I raced out of the house, and across the snow. The town was much emptier than usual. Monsters must have heard news of Undyne’s approach.

I ran through the trees, reaching my station and skidding to a stop with a spray of snow.

“ _Cool_ entrance, buddy. heh.” Sans’s voice said.

I looked around wildly and saw him standing in the shadow of a tall tree on the other side of the path.

“SANS!” I exclaimed, still panting. “NOW . . . IS NOT THE TIME . . . FOR BAD PUNS! WHY . . . ARE YOU HERE?”

“i thought i’d check and see if you made it to your station on time.” Sans said. “it wouldn’t do if my favourite brother somehow ended up getting in trouble with the queen.”

“I AM YOUR ONLY BROTHER SANS.” I pointed out, walking behind my station and sitting down.

“all the better reason to look out for ya.” Sans said, walking over to my station. His hands rested on the smooth wooden bench, and his fingers began tapping.

“I AM A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD.” I said. “I CAN LOOK AFTER MYSELF. IF ANYTHING, IT IS YOU, BROTHER, WHO NEEDS LOOKING AFTER.”

“look, bro. i don’t trust undyne.” Sans said, leaning closer. The forest around us seemed to dim. The only light was Sans’s blood red eye. “i don’t want her alone with you. especially after she tore out your teeth.”

Suddenly feeling self-conscious I brought a hand up and rubbed my jaw bone. “THAT WAS JUST ONE TIME. AND- AND IT WAS MY FAULT. I _SHOULD_ HAVE DEFEATED THE HUMAN AND GIVEN ITS SOULD TO QUEEN UNDYNE.”

“and what about my skull? i think it would be rather hard to accidently launch a magic spear at someone’s head.” Sans said.

“UNDYNE PUT A SPEAR THROUGH YOUR SKULL?” I asked in horror.

“right through me head and out this eye.” Sans growled, hooking two of his fingers through his empty eye.

“THA- THAT IS- UNDYNE WOULD NEVER- I-” For the first time, I was truly at a loss for words. What was happening to the world and the monsters I knew? Why was everything changing?

“that, papyrus, is why i do not want her near you.” Sans said tensely. Then his shoulders slumped and he stepped backwards. “so i’m going to stay here with you for a while, capiche?”

“YES, ALRIGHT.” I said timidly. _Timidly?_ Was I really so scared of my own brother? “WHEN DO YOU THINK QUEEN UNDYNE WILL ARIVE?”

“who knows?” Sans grumbled.

“ARE YOU SURE SHE WOULD NOT BE VERY MAD AT YOU FOR NOT BEING AT YOUR STATION?” I asked.

“i can handle it.” Sans promised. Suddenly the _clump-clump-clump_ of heavy footsteps echoed off the cavern roof far above and through the trees. Sans tensed, staring up along the path. Undyne marched into view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm leaving it on a cliff-hanger. I promise I'll update soon.


	10. Okay, Sans, I get your trying to protect Papy, but enough is enough.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is salty and doesn't know when enough fish puns are enough.
> 
> Papyrus just doesn't want to die.

She was wearing her armour, and a bone crown. Her yellow eye was narrowed and angry, and her nails were crusted with red that I very much doubted was nail polish.

“GREETINGS, QUEEN UNDYNE.” I said nervously.

“hmph.” Sans snorted. Undyne stared at him, then looked at me. I swallowed audibly and stared at her boots.

“Well, it’s good to see at least one of you lazybones doing their job!” Undyne near yelled. “Get to your station, Sans!”

“i don’t think i will, thanks.” Sans said. “i like it here better. the snow’s softer.”

“Don’t play games with me, you sorry excuse for a sentry!” Undyne shouted. “Get out of my way!”

“do you mind speakin’ up, i don’t think the monsters back in the capital heard ya the first time.” Sans grumbled.

“SANS, DO NOT AGRIVATE ME MORE THAN YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE!” Undyne screamed. “OR ELSE YOUR BROTHER WILL BE THE NEXT ONE WITH A SPEAR TO THE HEAD.”

Sans’s eye flashed. “now, now, no need to be hasty.” He said quickly. “for a _gill_ you have quite an violent temper.”

Undyne’s eye twitched.

“but there was no need to be so _crabby_. let’s _clam_ down and talk about this.” Sans continued.

“Sans, enough.” Undyne growled.

“okay, okay, i’ll cut the _carp_.” Sans chuckled, then said seriously. “don’t hurt him and we don’t have a problem, Undyne.”

“I’ll hurt anyone who threatens my rulership.” Undyne said.

“he’s done nothing to threaten you.” Sans said.

“You, however, have.” Undyne said. “And what’s the best way to hurt you? To hurt the monster you’re closest with, of course!”

Sans glanced and for a second his expression was panicked. Then it smoothed over into disinterest. “well, i guess you really can’t hurt me then. i don’t care about him.”

“Your petty tricks aren’t any good, Sans.” Undyne growled. “We all know your brother is the only thing you care about.”

“guess i fooled you too, huh?” Sans said. “man, i thought you were smarter than that. you should know that i never gave a shit about my bro. it was all an act. i couldn’t care less about him. he’s as useless as a knife without a blade, trust me.”

“You’re just saying that.” Undyne didn’t look certain.

“S-SANS. . .” I asked. “IS THAT TRUE? DO YOU REALLY NOT CARE ABOUT ME A-AT ALL?”

Sans’s red eye drilled into my skull. “not one bit.”

I felt tears leak into the corners of my eye sockets. _Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You aren’t a baby-bones. Don’t cry_. But it was useless. I could feel the tears running down my skull.

“WELL, IF TH-THAT IS TRUE THEN PERHAPS UNDYNE I-IS RIGHT AND YOU _SHOULD_ J-JUST LEAVE ME.” I said, before my voice cracked and I burst into tears.

Sans glowered at Undyne. “this was a pleasant chat, undyne.”

“That’s Queen Undyne.” Undyne snapped. “Or Empress Undyne.”

But Sans had already disappeared in a red flash.


	11. Clearing Some Stuff Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit more of our two favourite skeletons 'bickering' and making up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I replied to a comment, mentioning this, but I just can't help it, you guys should all check out Sour Apple Studios official Horrortale if you haven't already (although there's a fair chance that you would have if you're reading this), seriously, they put so much work into it and that newest animation- GAHH
> 
> I have no friends that like Undertale AUs, so help me I just wanted to talk about how cool the animation when Aliza (the human) meets Sans is.
> 
> I'm so lonely.
> 
> Okay. Enough stalling, on with the chapter.

When I arrived home, I found Sans waiting for me.

“hey, papyrus.” He started. “look, i-”

“I DO NOT WANT TO TALK TO YOU!” I cried. I could feel my bones shaking. “AFTER WHAT YOU SAID, I DO NOT EVEN KNOW IF I WANT YOU AS MY BROTHER!”

“papyrus, i can explain-”

“NO, SANS.” I said. “YOU HAVE TOLD ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL, AND YOU DO NOT NEED TO SAY ANYTHING MORE!”

I stalked past him and to the stairs.

“papyrus, wait.” Sans’s footsteps followed mine, but I didn’t want to look at him. If I did, I was afraid I’d start crying again. “papyrus, i can explain, i was just saying that because- PAPYRUS LISTEN TO ME, DAMMIT!”

But I didn’t want to listen. I hurried up, rushing into my room and closing the door. No matter how scared I felt, I was more hurt.

“PAPYRUS, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!” Sans yelled. I kept my hands on the doorhandle just in case Sans really wanted to force his way in.

“SANS, PLEASE LISTEN. I DO NOT WANT TO TALK.” I insisted. “LEAVE ME BE.”

"PAPYRUS, I WAS TRYING TO FUCKING HELP YOU! OPEN THE BLEEDING DOOR AND LET ME TALK!"

I didn't reply. For a few moments, I couldn't hear anything from the other side of the door, then footsteps stormed away, and a door slammed. I turned my back on the door and stared at my bedroom. I felt my bones shake, and tears began to leak down my skull. I leaned my back against the door and sunk down against it.

**\----HAPPY BREAKTIME BROUGHT TO YOU BY MTT TV----**

The next morning, when I had calmed down, I ventured downstairs. I hoped Sans wasn't mad, it had been rude of me to ignore him like that. He seemed to have wanted to explain. Sans was pacing the living room, muttering under his breath. Talking to himself?

“. . . and now paps thinks i hate him, i swear to asgore i will kill that fish, i will torture her _and then_ kill her. i’ll make her stay in hotlands without so much as a drop of water until she dies of dehydration and-”

“HELLO BROTHER.” I said awkwardly.

“oh, uh, papyrus. you’re awake.” Sans said, just as awkwardly.

We stared at each other, the tension growing stronger and stronger between us.

“SANS?” I asked, then lowered my voice. “You do not really hate me, do you?”

“course not, paps, i could never.” Sans promised.

“BUT WITH QUEEN UNDYNE-”

“if i had said any different she woulda hurt you, papyrus.” Sans said, his one working eye socket going dark. “i couldn’t let that happen to my favourite bro, could i?”

“I HAVE ALREADY INFORMED YOU THAT I’M YOUR ONLY BROTHER SANS.” I reminded him.

“and i’ve already informed you that that’s all the more reason to protect you.” Sans reminded me.

“WELL THANK YOU FOR TRYING TO LOOK AFTER ME.” I said. “BUT NEXT TIME MIND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING BECAUSE IT CAN SOMETIMES BE HURTFUL AND WHAT YOU SAID WAS HURTFUL AND HURT ME A LOT AND- AND NEXT TIME REMEMBER, I _AM_ THE GREAT PAPYRUS, I CAN LOOK AFTER MYSELF.”

“and best member of the royal guard.” Sans agreed. "undyne would never let ya quit."

“YES. . .” I said, somewhat reluctantly. “THAT ALSO.”

“what’s wrong, papyrus?” Sans asked, picking up on my hesitation.

“I JUST. . .  I DO NOT WANT TO END UP LIKE UNDYNE.” I admitted. “SHE USED TO BE VERY BRAVE AND KIND AND STRONG BUT NOW. . . NOW SHE JUST SEEMS TO WANT POWER AND FEAR AND I'M AFRAID. AND I DO NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THAT. AND- AND THE ROYAL GUARD ISN’T A PLACE THAT MAKES ME HAPPY ANYMORE. EVERYONE IS SO MEAN AND POWER-HUNGRY AND THEY ALL WANT TO KILL AND I DO NOT.”

“hmmm.” Sans said thoughtfully. “i’ll see what i can do for ya.”

“NO, NO, DO NOT GET YOURSELF HURT ON MY BEHALF.” I insisted.

“yeah. sure.” Sans agreed. But I got the feeling he wasn’t really listening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, this apology feels sort of forced and rushed, but I have a bit of writers block at this point, and this was all I could think of. Also, it's late at night here, so. . . yeah. That can excuse any weirdness? Or something?
> 
> The chapter's sort of low-tension and all, I guess, but at least we know that Sans doesn't hate Papyrus?


	12. Shameless Filler . . . I'm Sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Short chapter today. Why? I'm sort of sick, and the weather getting colder down under hasn't helped.
> 
> But you guys don't want to hear me talk about my sucky head cold, instead have a filler chapter.

“SANS? ARE YOU REALLY SURE ABOUT ICECAP?” I paused outside the small house, staring at the door, which was gaping open from when I had intruded a few days beforehand. “I KNOW YOU SAID IT WAS OKAY, BUT I CANNOT HELP BUT FEEL AS THOUGH IT IS NOT.”

Sans stopped as well, and stared at the building. “uh, i dunno, paps. maybe you’re right and something happened. but if it did, we’re probably too late to help it.”

“THAT IS NO WAY OF THINKING!” I exclaimed. “ESPECIALLY NOW, WE MUST HELP EACH OTHER MORE.”

“things are changing papyrus.” Sans said tiredly. “we need to change with it. we can’t keep helping everyone. you don’t know how hard it is to keep getting fresh meat all the time.”

“LET ME COME WITH YOU TO THE CAPITAL, PLEASE.” I begged. “LET ME HELP. THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN CERTAINLY HELP MORE THAN YOU SEEM TO THINK.”

“i don’t think that’s a good idea.” Sans said. “why don’t we just head to our stations?”

“PLEASE SANS.” I hesitated. “IF I CAME WITH YOU IT WOULD SHOW UNDYNE THAT YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT ME AND ARE NOT AFRAID OF WHAT SHE MIGHT DO TO ME.”

Sans hesitated, then shook his head. “i get that you wanna help, but you can’t. it isn’t safe and if you got hurt . . . i don’t think i could forgive myself.”

“I- I UNDERSTAND, BROTHER.” I sighed in defeat. “LET’S GET TO OUR STATIONS.”


	13. Papyrus, that's not tomato sauce. And that's definetly not just some random monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm alive again. So I don't this chapter is great, and there isn't much dialogue in it, so it's a little different to every other chapter, but I've tried to rewrite it a few times and this is the best I got, so here's a new chapter.
> 
> Enjoy

I squinted through the whirling snow at the neat row of spikes that formed the wall of my puzzle, barely visible through the snowstorm. The bad weather had lasted three days, and I finally decided that staying cooped up at home wasn’t doing me any favours. My puzzles were well overdue recalibrating, and bad weather wasn’t going to stop me.

Or at least, that’s what I had told myself. But battling the snow now was proving to be harder than I had initially thought. I was recalibrating my traps, shifting the deadly-sharp spikes into new patterns and trying not to scratch my bones, and the snow wasn’t helping.

I stood and stretched, wishing Sans would hurry with the supplies. The last few times he left, he had come back empty handed, muttering something about the bad weather, and just needing to wait it out, which was all good in theory, but harder in practise, once the last box of spaghetti had been eaten.

A sudden scream pierced the silence of the forest, as painful as nails of a chalkboard. It was followed by another scream that was cut off half way through, but it was enough for me to gauge the general direction of where the sound had come from. Up the path, towards Snowdin, but still in the forest.

I dashed back towards the town, stumbling over the snowy ground. If this was like the Icecap, then I had to save the creature. And I could return it safely home. I just had to get there in time.

I veered left into the trees, weaving through their black shapes, peering through the heavy snow. I thought I saw something, a short shape between the trees, and dashed towards it. As I got closer, the shape tensed and spun around. I saw one red dot shining through the snow, then a flash of red, and the thing was gone.

Slowly, I crept forwards. I almost slipped on the snow, which was slick and wet. Regaining my footing, I knelt and examined the ground. Through the snow, I could see a lot of red liquid, and a smaller lump, almost invisible with its camouflage in the snow. My first thought was _tomato sauce?_ I scooped a handful of snow and sniffed the red stuff experimentally.

It was _not_ tomato sauce, but I couldn’t place the smell. It was familiar, I knew that much. I let the red snow fall from my hands and examined the small lump. It was white and red, too, and at first I thought it was just a pile of snow, but when I poked it, it shuddered, dislodging snow from its back, and made a high-pitched whimpering sound.

I felt a sinking feeling in my bones, and I rolled the thing over. Two dark brown eyes stared into my eye sockets. A mouth creaked open and a grey tongue fell out. I poked the thing again and it made another high-pitched whimper.

The thing tried to stand, but fell back down, and suddenly I realised what it was. Greater dog whimpered in pain and lurched towards me. I scooped him up, “OH NO, WHAT DID THIS TO YOU?”

He only whimpered as an answer. A few small trails of dust leaked from him. And some part of me realised he was dusting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end on a sort-of cliff-hanger. Please be patient. Next part coming soon (I hope).


	14. Okay wow this got sad quick

“DO NOT FEAR, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO RESCUE YOU!” I announced, standing up carefully, then sprinting – slightly less carefully – through the trees and into Snowdin. As I passed through town, a couple of monsters stared hungrily at me, licking their lips.

But this _was not_ rations. This was a living monster, and I had to save it! I burst through the door, holding the still-bleeding dog. Sans was in the kitchen, putting something into the fridge. He spun around when the door opened, red eye flashing murderously. In the back of my mind I noticed his shirt was stained red.

Then his shoulders slumped. “oh. papyrus. aren’t you meant to be recalibrating your traps or something?”

“MY PUZZLES CAN WAIT, BROTHER!” I cried. “SANS, A POOR INNOCENT DOG WAS ATTACK BY AN EVIL BEAST!”

“is- is that so?” Sans said, swallowing thickly.

“YES! BUT LUCKILY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FRIGHTENED THE BEAST OFF AND NOW WE CAN SAVE GREATER DOG!” I announced. “UM . . . WHERE SHOULD I PUT HIM?”

Sans shrugged, closing the fridge door. I ran to the couch and deposited the dog onto it.

“you’re getting blood on the couch, paps.” Sans said.

“WE CAN CLEAN IT LATER, WE MUST HELP GREATER DOG!” I cried.

“ugh, fine.” Sans mumbled. “how?”

“I- I DID NOT THINK THIS FAR AHEAD.” I admitted.

“well i don’t know any better than you.” Sans grumbled. “maybe you shoulda just left it in the forest.”

“I COULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AS BAD AS LETTING THE THING KILL IT! MAYBE WE CAN HEAL IT WITH MAGIC!” I cried.

“you can try, buddy.” Sans rolled his red eye.

“SANS, HELP ME HEAL IT, PLEASE!” I cried, kneeling next to the dog on the couch and placing a hand on its back.

“there’s no point, papyrus. it’s as good as dead.” Sans grumbled.

“YOU CANNOT KNOW THAT, PLEASE SANS, HELP ME!” I started up my green magic to try and heal the Greater Dog.

“you can’t save everyone, papyrus.” Sans said, but he looked more resigned then angry. “i don’t think it’s worth it. it’s better off dead, at least it’ll be useful as-”

He stopped suddenly, and his gaze dropped to his feet. “point is, buddy, i’m not going to waste my magic on a lost cause.”

“FINE!” I snapped. “I CAN HEAL GREATER DOG WITHOUT YOU!”

Sans sighed. “suit yourself. just remember what i said, it’s past the point of help. don’t be disappointed if you fail.”

There was a flash of red and Sans disappeared. For a moment I stared at where he had been, waiting for him to return, but then I realised he wouldn’t be coming back, and I instead turned my attention back to the dog laying on the couch.

What could _I_ do to help this dying monster? No, it was not dying. And I was the Great Papyrus. If anyone could help it, I could. So why couldn’t I think of what to do? I always had an answer, a solution to every puzzle that I had to solve . . . but this time there was something wrong.

It was like my skull had been split open and emptied. There was something I couldn’t quite place that wasn’t here. I tried to think. What would I usually do in this situation? What would Undyne do? What would Sans do?

Sans would help, wouldn’t he? The old Sans would have. Sans wouldn’t just give up on a monster’s life. He never gave up on me . . .

But now he had.

My own brother had stopped believing that I could heal this monster, that I could help people, that I could become whatever I wanted. I shook my head. That was not the important issue right now! This monster was dying and I had to help it!

I tried using my green magic again. The Greater Dog gave a weak whimper. I pat its head comfortingly. When I took my hand away, my glove was grey with dust.

“NO, NO, DO NOT DUST!” I begged. “IT IS OKAY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO HELP YOU NOW, IT WILL BE OKAY. STAY STRONG, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BELIEVE IN YOU.”

I tried another burst of green magic. For a few moments, the dog stopped dusting. Then it continued crumbling away. I felt my eyes burn with tears. Why could I do anything? Why couldn’t I help anyone?

“IT WILL . . . it will be okay, Greater Dog.” My voice dropped to a whisper as I stared at him. “It’s okay . . . I will find whatever killed you and make sure they don’t kill anyone ever again. Whatever . . . or whoever they are . . . I believe they must have a reason for this and . . . and they can do better . . . I’m very sorry. . .”

I reached out to pat the Greater Dog one last time, but it turned into a pile of dust on the couch before I could touch it. I had failed. Sans was right. I couldn’t save everyone. Not anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't intend for this to happen . . . I mean, wow, how do I follow up from this?
> 
> Poor Papy, he's starting to loose himself . . .


	15. Back to the Ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, another chapter. This one isn't the best either, but I've been busy and I just needed to update something. Enjoy.

“heya, papyrus, i’m sorry about what i said just before. you’re right, we-”

Sans’s eyes grew dark as he saw me knelt by the couch, one hand on the dust that used to be Greater Dog.

“oh. . .” He mumbled. “oh, papyrus, buddy, i’m sorry.”

“It is . . . it is all right, brother. You were only telling me not to be disappointed. You were right.” I whispered.

Sans didn’t answer. For a long time, neither of us moved. Sans cleared his throat once or twice, as if he wanted to say something, but seemed to decide against it. Finally he just said, "i'm going to grillby's."

There was a flash of red and then he was gone. After a few more minutes of silence, I stood up shakily. Greater Dog would need a proper ceremony. I should collect his dust and give it to his family. Lesser dog was his family, right? Well, I'd give it to one of the dogs. I found a clear plastic box that used to be full of spaghetti, but had been empty for who knows how long. I scooped as much of the dust as I could into the box and clicked the lid into place.

Then I walked out into Snowdin. I headed towards their sentry stations. There was an equal chance they'd be at Grillby's, but I wasn't ready to talk to Sans again.

In the forest, everything was quiet. The snowstorm had slowed, and now snow was gently drifting down to the ground. There was no sign that anything horrible had ever happened here. I found Lesser Dog's station empty. I placed to box on the front of the station. I wished I had had a note or something to write with and tell Lesser Dog what had happened, but I didn't. I resolved to come back and tell them what had happened.

Still feeling overwhelmed, I decided to walk for a bit longer in the quiet. I found myself wondering all the way back to my sentry station. Then past it to Sans's. I stopped for a moment, and peered inside. Under the top was a supply of hotdogs, and a half empty bottle of ketchup. And one or two packages of beef?

Odd, that Sans would keep meat here, and not take it home. Was he lying about being scarce on food? Or perhaps he was keeping it here in case a human fell. Then he could feed it and make sure it was okay. Yes, that must be it.

I stepped back from the station, and kept walking on. Before I knew it, I was back at the huge purple door that lead to the Ruins. A sudden idea hit me. Queen Toriel could help me. She knew Sans very well, nearly as well as I did. Maybe she could tell me what was going on. Suddenly anxious, I raised my fist and knocked on the door.


	16. No one is Really in their Right Frame of Mind

Toriel’s voice was muffled through the door. “Who is there?”

“PAPYRUS.”

“Papyrus who?”

“PAPYRUS!” I repeated.

“Oh, Sans’s brother.” Toriel realised. “Why have you come here, my child?”

“I WANT TO TALK TO YOU.” I said. I sat down cross-legged, facing the door.

“About what, child?”

“SANS.”

“What about him?” Toriel’s voice was sharp. “Is he in trouble? Is he hurt?”

“NO, NO!” I assured her. “SANS IS OKAY. WELL, MOSTLY OKAY. I HOPE HE IS OKAY. HE HAS BEEN ACTING VERY ODD LATELY, BUT I AM SURE HE IS JUST UPSET ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH UNDYNE!”

“Oh. Yes. I remember Undyne.”

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Toriel asked.

“I MEAN . . . EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED NOW. I DO NOT KNOW WHY, OR WHAT HAS HAPPENED, BUT I WANT TO. I WANT TO HELP BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW. I WAS HOPING YOU COULD TELL ME.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about . . .” Toriel’s voice was hardly audible.

“WHY? ARE THINGS BETTER IN THE RUINS? DO YOU HAVE FOOD YOU CAN GIVE US?” I asked.

“Yes, my child. There is food back at my place. You should come and stay . . . the night . . . please, child.”

“MS TORIEL, I AM NOT A CHILD, I CANNOT STAY. I HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT THE MONSTERS OF SNOWDIN AND ALL THE UNDERGROUND.” I insisted.

“No, no, child! The Underground is not safe! Stay with me, please! I can bake you pie and read you stories. Would you like to know a fact about snails?”

“I DO NOT THINK YOU ARE IN YOUR RIGHT FRAME OF MIND. HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH SLEEP? ARE YOU HUNGRY?”

“. . .”

“TORIEL?”

“Papyrus . . . oh my . . . what is happening to me?” Toriel’s voice was shaky now. “I’m so alone here . . . please come back and talk to me, don’t leave me alone . . . please, my child . . .”

“I CAN’T.” I explained. “I HAVE TO FEED EVERYONE AND BE A SENTRY FOR THE ROYAL GUARD, BUT I AM SURE SANS WILL CONTINUE TO VISIT.”

“He promised to protect the child . . . has he?” Toriel asked.

“WHAT CHILD?”

“Oh please tell me my child is okay . . . Frisk . . . is Frisk okay? Are they alive?”

Fear began creeping alone my bones. There was something very wrong with Toriel. Frisk . . . weren’t they the human who had fallen into the Underground and befriended me . . . until they killed Asgore . . .

I glanced around, but I was still alone. “I DO NOT THINK YOU ARE FEELING VERY WELL. YOU SHOULD GET SOME SLEEP. COME TO SNOWDIN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD.”

“No, my child, do not leave!”

“GOODBYE, TORIEL.” I stood and started walking away. There was nothing more I could do for Toriel. I forced myself to keep walking away when she spoke again.

“No, please! Please do not leave me all alone again . . . all alone . . .”

Her voice faded away into the background as I kept walking. It was probably best that I return to Snowdin. Sans was probably back from Grillby’s and would be worried. Lesser Dog’s station was now visible. The dog monster was at his station, nose sniffing at the box that contained Greater Dog’s dust.

“OH, LESSER DOG!” I cried, running over. “I AM VERY SORRY IF I CONFUSED YOU. THAT DUST . . . IT WAS GREATER DOG'S . . . I AM VERY SOR-”

I stopped suddenly, interrupted by a growl. I felt a shiver down my spine and realised that Lesser Dog was growling. Its black eyes were glaring at me with an almost . . . savage look.

“LESSER DOG? ARE YOU . . . OKAY?” I asked, carefully.

“Grrrrrr.”

I took a nervous step back. “DID I INVADE YOUR SPACE? I AM VERY SORRY, I DID NOT MEAN IT.”

Lesser Dog seemed to have lost interest in me, and had turned back to the box. It sunk its teeth into the top of the container and tore it off, then buried its nose in the dust. I felt sick. I rushed forwards. I didn’t care if I was going to be attacked, I would not let the dog monster eat its friend.

“NO, STOP! LESSER DOG, DO NOT EAT THAT! IT IS NOT FOOD! OH NO, OH NO, OH NO!” I snatched the box and darted back. Dust spilled onto my gloves. Lesser Dog growled, licking dust of its lips.

“I AM VERY SORRY, BUT I MUST GO! I’LL MAKE SURE FOOD IS THERE FOR YOU SOON! I PROMISE!” I said, spinning and walking away as quickly as I dared. I cradled the container to my chest as I walked through Snowdin. Monsters wondered through the town, eyes blank and red stains around their mouths, on their paws and clothes.

I frowned. Did they not know how to wash the beef stains from their clothes? They stopped when they saw me, eyes focusing. I heard my name whispered, begging for food. But I couldn’t give them this. They couldn’t eat yet.

I made a mental note to deliver more food soon. I would ask Sans for more food. That had to be why whatever killed Greater Dog did it. It was hungry. If I could just get food for all of them, it would be fine.

Finally, I reached my house. Inside, I went to the kitchens to check how much food we had for the monsters of Snowdin. I opened the fridge and put the rations I was holding inside. Including that, there were three packages of beef and a half full bottle of ketchup.

“uh, paps?”

I turned at the sound of Sans’s voice, closing the fridge behind me. “YES, SANS?”

“why're ya putting that in the fridge?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I WAS PUTTING THE RATIONS IN THE FRIDGE.” I said.

Sans gave me a strange look and walked over, gesturing for me to move aside. I did, and he opened the fridge and pulled out the container I had just put in. It had no lid, and inside it I could clearly see dust.

Greater Dog’s dust.


	17. I'm Still Alive! Lesser Dog Mightn't Be Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm so, so sorry for not updating in forever. I'm not giving up on this book, I was overseas, and I forgot my laptop. Great job me! So forgive me for the lack of content, I'm not dead, enjoy another rushed chapter from a writer who really should be sleeping after getting less than nine hours sleep in the last 48 hours, enjoy Papyrus and Sans going crazy! Bye!

How had I not noticed? Was I really so preoccupied that I would mistake dust for rations? I realised Sans was looking at me and I forced myself to speak.

“OH, I DID NOT MEAN- I WASN’T THINKING- LESSER DOG- AND- I AM VERY SORRY. WE SHOULD- WE SHOULD PUT THIS SOMEWHERE ELSE. . .” I trailed off uncertainly.

“i’ll take it.” Sans volunteered.

I nodded. “BUT DO NOT TAKE IT TO LESSER DOG! HE IS NOT FEELING VERY WELL. WE SHOULD FEED HIM SOON.”

“alright.” Sans noted. “hey, take the night off, paps. i’ll make, heh heh, hot dogs for us.”

“THANK YOU SANS, THAT WOULD BE VERY KIND OF YOU.” I said, wandering out of the kitchen. I sat on the couch and switched on the television. Mettaton came on, and like always, it was an old show. I pushed my doubts to the back of my mind. That could wait until later. I had to help Snowdin first.

When the food was ready, I turned off the television and made sure Sans sat at the table – he tried to insist upon sitting at the couch as he ate. I watched as he poured an unhealthy amount of ketchup onto his food.

“why aren’t cha eating?” He asked after a moment. “don’t tell me ya don’t like it. i put a lot of blood and sweat into it. heh heh.”

“NO, THAT ISN’T IT.” I said, and took a bite of the hot dog to prove it. It was odd, even for beef, and had a strange gritty texture and dry flavour. Maybe Sans had the right idea, putting ketchup on his food.

“CAN I HAVE SOME KETCHUP PLEASE, SANS?” I asked.

Sans stared at me, then when I didn’t say anything else, said, “you condi _ment_ that, buddy?”

I nodded, ignoring the bad pun. Sans stared at me for another long moment, then nodded and wordlessly passed the bottle over.

“THANK YOU.” I said. I knew Sans tricked the human pouring too much ketchup on their food, so I made sure to hold the bottle’s cap in place when I tipped it up. A small amount of ketchup fell from the bottle and onto my hot dog.

“that’s not much, paps.” Sans said. “you should have some more and _ketchup_ to my level. heh.”

“SANS, THAT WAS AWFUL!” I groaned. I placed the bottle carefully back onto the table. Sans took another bite of his hotdog.

“hey papyrus . . .” Sans trailed off thoughtfully, then said, “what happened with lesser dog?”

“WHEN I WAS RETURNING FROM-” Suddenly I realised I couldn’t tell my brother about talking to Toriel. He would probably be very upset. “MY STATION. I HAD GIVEN GREATER DOG’S DUST TO LESSER DOG BEFORE, BUT WHEN I CAME BACK, LESSER DOG WAS TRYING TO EAT THE DUST! WE WEREN’T FEEDING THEM ENOUGH, THAT MUST BE IT! AND I STOPPED LESSER DOG.”

“how did lesser dog react?”

“IT GROWLED AT ME. I WAS SCARED, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE! I’M SURE LESSER DOG WAS JUST HUNGRY! YOU CAN GET MORE BEEF, CAN’T YOU?”

“hmm, sure.” Sans looked distracted. His one working eye-light disappeared. “can you wash the dishes, i need to go get some more supplies for my hotdogs.”


	18. The Television is Actually Important for Once. Just as an Exposition Dump I Guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm alive still. Sorry for not updating. Long story short, school sucks, I was distracted by a webcomic then I got sick. What with the cold weather (Southern Hemisphere) it isn't that surprising. But I'm not giving up on this story, and with that, have another awfully written chapter.

“VERY WELL, BROTHER.” I said, but something didn’t feel right. Sans had gone to get new supplies just a few days ago, hadn’t he? I wasn’t sure, it all seemed to blur into one long day. I closed my eye sockets and concentrated. How long since I last gave everyone rations? Today? Yesterday? Last week? Did Sans know? “WAIT, BROTHER, BEFORE YOU GO, DO YOU KNOW WHEN I LAST FED EVERYONE?”

There was no answer. I opened my eyes, but Sans wasn’t here. He must have used a shortcut. This dinner had been odd, from start to finish. I had nearly put Greater Dog’s dust with the rest of the rations. Sans had stopped me, comforted me and, just when I thought Sans was starting to return to normal, telling bad puns and making hot dogs, he suddenly got distracted and disappeared.

I didn’t want to think about what had happened, just like I didn’t want to think about what I’d seen and heard today, so I turned on the television in the hopes that mindless noise and entertainment would distract me.

“-citizens of the Underground.” A familiar, harsh voice filled my head, bouncing through my skull. I turned to stare and saw Undyne, her crown of bones sitting lopsided on her head, a red cloak wrapped around her shoulders, leering up at me through the television screen. Her face was huge, inches away from the camera. “As you should all know, I am Empress Undyne, ruler of the Underground. I have interrupted your television broadcast to share a message of the utmost importance with you all.”

Undyne leaned back from the screen, revealing she was sitting on a throne. The wall behind her was grey and red, splotchy and unappealing. “There have been several disturbances in the Underground recently. Food from the castle has been stolen, members of the Royal Guard have been attacked, a group of monsters tried to break into Hotland’s lab. You know who you are. You know what you have done. I’ll give you one chance to stop this behaviour, but if you don’t your identity will be revealed and every single monster in the Underground will thirst for your blood!”

My bones were rattling in terror. These monsters that were terrorising the Underground could be anyone! They could be members of Snowdin! How could any monster disobey Queen – Empress – Undyne? And how could Undyne threaten them with _death_?

I realised Undyne had been talking while I was lost in thought.

“- and tomorrow, I will be announcing the new head of the Royal Guard!”

The screen flickered, filled with static and went back to Mettaton’s show. A new head of the Royal Guard? Well, since Greater Dog’s accident, there hadn’t been a head of the Royal Guard, but it had barely been a day since that had happened. How could Undyne know that he had died so soon? And who would be Greater Dog’s replacement?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise more excitement next chapter, okay?
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, there will be a next chapter. Be patient, I'm lazy.


	19. Not the Action You Wanted but the Tension You Needed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not the excitement I promised, but just take it. Please?

“ugh, paps, how much longer? we’ve been trekking through the snow for at least an hour.”

“SANS, DELIEVERING FOOD TO THE CITIZENS OF SNOWDIN IS IMPORTANT.” I scolded. “AND IT HAS NOT BEEN AN HOUR . . . I THINK.”

“. . . its starting to snow again.” Sans grumbled.

“IT WILL NOT BE MUCH LONGER.” I assured him.

Sans sighed but didn’t complain, just tugged his hood over his head to stop the light grey snow that had started to fall from getting in the whole in his head. I marched to the next house and turned put a container of hot dogs at the door when I noticed something strange.

“SANS, THERE IS ALREADY A CONTAINER OF MEAT HERE. DID I MISCALCULATE?” I asked.

“huh?” Sans, who had been standing a few metres away and staring out the path towards Waterfall glanced my way.

“PAY ATTENTION LAZYBONES, THERE ARE TWO CONTAINERS OF HOT DOGS.” I repeated.

“i think you miscounted, paps, you have three boxes in your arms.” Sans said.

“NO, THERE IS ONE IN MY ARMS FOR THIS HOUSE AND ONE ALREADY ON THE GROUND HERE.” I said.

“then take the spares home. all the more for us.” Sans said, staring down the path again. “dont see why its such a big deal.”

“THAT IS NOT WHY IT IS SUCH A BIG DEAL!” I said. “IT IS A BIG DEAL BECAUSE I DIDN’T THINK I HAD DELIVERED FOOD TO THIS HOUSE ALREADY.”

“huh. waddaya know?” Sans mumbled, still staring intently towards Waterfall.

 I THINK I WOULD REMEMBER IF I HAD. AND WHY ARE YOU SO DISTRACTED TODAY?”

“ya dont say.” Sans said, showing he clearly wasn’t listening.

“SANS!” I exclaimed, marching over to him. “WHAT IS IT?”

“nothing. i’m just a bit of a _bonehead_. heh.” Sans grinned, but it looked strained.

“SANS, YOU TRUST ME, DON’T YOU?” I asked. “AND- AND YOU’LL TELL ME THE TRUTH, RIGHT? I AM AN ADULT, SANS, YOU DO NOT NEED TO TREAT ME LIKE A CHILD. SO YOU’LL TELL ME THE TRUTH, WON’T YOU?”

Sans stared for a few moments, red eye glaring into my eye sockets. Finally he said, “yeah, sure i trust ya. if you must know, i’m just waitin for her to show up so i can get her outta here quick as possible.”

That answered nothing.

“WAITING FOR WHO? AND WHY?” I asked.

“undick. so i can get her to leave you alone.”

“WHY WOULD EMPRESS UNDYNE WANT TO SEE ME?” I asked. “I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG, HAVE I?”

“no. that’s not it.” Sans said. “you shouldnt worry about it. its nothing i cant handle.”

“SANS, YOU JUST SAID YOU WOULD TELL ME WHAT WAS GOING ON.”

“hey.” Sans said, pointing at the house. “ya left two boxes there, let’s take one back home, all the more hot dogs for us, right?”

The red light in his eye had shrunken and he was sweating despite the snow. I looked over at the house and realised he was right. “OH, YES, I CAN CHOP UP THE MEAT TO MAKE SPAGHETTI IF WE HAVE ANY NOODLES LEFT.”

“sounds great.” Sans agreed. “if anyone knocks on the door, dont answer it unless you have a death wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm sorry I promised excitement and then didn't deliver, but I SWEAR I have a good excuse. I got really sick and had to have an operation at hospital. I'm all better (more or less) now luckily.
> 
> EDIT: Oh gods, I forgot to name the chapter. Haha, I'll go back and do that now. How many of you even bother to read my stupid excessive chapter names anyway?


	20. Undyne Returns (What? I Can't Always Have Chapter Names That Are 10/10 Stupid! Sometimes I Have An Off Day, Okay?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A long chapter. Done. Finished. Hooray!

I was just setting the spaghetti on the table when the knock that Sans had predicted rapped on the door, scraping the wood like claws. I turned to stare at the door, unsure as whether to answer. If I answered, Sans would be angry and I might die. If it was rude not to answer.

I was saved the trouble of answering, as with a red flash Sans appeared at the door.

There was a banging on the door, louder than before. Undyne’s voice screamed, “Open the fucking door, Sans! I know you’re in there!”

Slowly, Sans turned the doorknob and stepped back. Undyne and two huge guards in black armour were standing outside. Both guards were carrying swords that swayed in time with their movements.

“undyne. what an unpleasant surprise.” Sans said mockingly, not moving enough to let Undyne in.

“Let me in you bag of bones.” Undyne grumbled.

“what do you want?” Sans snarled.

“Sans, I’m trying to be somewhat courteous. I ask you to do the same.” Undyne snarled in return.

“SANS, PERHAPS WE SHOULD LET E-EMPRESS UNDYNE IN.” I said, walking to Sans’s side and putting a gloved hand on his shoulder.

“papyrus-” Sans glanced at me over his shoulder, red eye glowing ominously.

“PLEASE SANS.” I begged.

“Sans, listen to your brother, unless you want me to grind your bones to dust.” Undyne threatened.

“whatever.” Sans snapped, backing away a few more steps and flopping down on the couch.

“PLEASE MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, YOUR MAJESTY.” I bowed as Undyne entered the house. “WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO EAT, SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE SOME SPAGHETTI-”

“or hot dogs. heh.”

“OR HOT DOGS, THEN FEEL FREE TO EAT SOME.” I offered.

“Hot dogs?” Undyne’s eye twitched. “You didn’t-”

“there was an accident in snowdin forest.” Sans said. “a trap. papyrus and i tried to rescue him but he dusted before we could save him.”

“I see.” Undyne said.

“WE TRIED VERY HARD, EMPRESS UNDYNE. PLEASE DO NOT BE MAD.” I pleaded.

“Very well. I will try some of the food here.” Undyne said coldly. She stomped over to the table, the two guards stayed near the door, watching nervously through the slits in their helmets. Undyne grabbed a fork and took a huge mouthful of spaghetti. Almost instantly, she spat it out. “What sort of shit is this?”

“it’s the rations you give to all of snowdin.” Sans offered. “or at least, the rations you should be giving to all of snowdin.”

“Well, on to the real reason why I’m here.” Undyne said. “Papyrus. I want you to be the new head of the Royal Guard.”

Sans went completely still. “what.”

I could tell it wasn’t a question. It was a chance for Undyne to go back on her words. I was in shock. Me, head of the Royal Guard? It had been my dream job. But . . . _had_. Now, with Undyne as empress and all the monsters hungry and angry? I didn’t want to be head of the Royal Guard if it meant I might hurt someone.

“Papyrus _will_ be head of the Royal Guard.” Undyne snapped.

“i see.” Sans muttered, fingers tapping on the couch. “well. papyrus. do you wanna be the head of the royal guard?”

“IF EMPRESS UNDYNE HAS TOLD ME TO BE THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD, THEN I WILL BECOME HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD.” I said nervously, not wanting to make either monster angry.

“Then we can move you to the castle at once! We’ll announce it tonight, as soon as we get back!”

“NO!” Sans yelled, standing up and approaching Undyne. “HE IS _NOT_ BECOMING THE HEAD OF YOUR SAD EXCUSE FOR A GUARD AND HE IS _NOT_ GOING TO THE FUCKING CASTLE!”

“Do not.” Undyne snarled. “Speak to your empress that way.”

I had to stop them fighting. Fighting would lead them nowhere. And if they initiated a battle . . . Sans with his one HP would never survive. “SANS, EMPRESS UNDYNE, PLEASE DO NOT FIGHT. FIGHTING IS NOT THE ANSWER. TALK AND COMPROMISE!”

Undyne bared her teeth. “Sans.”

“undyne.” Sans said, voice a low growl. “let’s listen to pappy. compromise. you stay well away from us, find a different head of the royal guard and give us some food that’s actually edible. and in return i won’t turn you into a pile of dust.”

“You have some nerve speaking to your empress like that!” Undyne snarled, but the eye that wasn’t covered by an eye-patch was darting around nervously. “But fine! Being the gracious and forgiving empress I am, I’ll leave you for the time being. But in return you aren’t to hurt any of my royal guard, Papyrus is to stay a loyal soldier and his puzzles are now aimed to kill, not capture. Understood?”

“kill?” Sans muttered. “what about capturing humans to get their souls?”

“Think about it.” Undyne said. “If you kill a human you can eat its body. I’m sure it’d be better for you than this shit.”

Sans glanced at me, then trained his red eye back on Undyne unblinkingly. “fine. just get out of my sight.”

Neither spoke or moved. The tension grew and grew and just when I thought it was about to explode, Undyne turned and stomped out of the house, followed by her two armoured guards. Sans glared at her shrinking figure until she was out of sight, then sighed and said, “i’m going to grillby’s.”

He disappeared in a red flash. I wanted to call after him. Grillby’s had shut down, hadn’t it? But Sans was already gone. I’d have to remind him when he got back.

Wait. Remind him of what? I couldn’t quite remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't get mad at me, but I kinda feel like I'm nearing the end of this story. I've had a great time writing it, don't get me wrong, and if I never published it online I probably never would have written this much of it, but I'm just sort of . . . not as interested in writing about Undertale or its AUs anymore. Don't worry, there are still a few more chapters to come, I'm just saying that the end is in sight, that's all.


	21. Lazy Filler

“so lemme get this straight.” Sans said. “youve turned your puzzles into traps.”

“THAT IS CORRECT.”

“and there are five of them.” Sans continued.

“YES!”

“but if youre smart enough you can survive each one.” Sans said.

“YES! WHAT FUN WOULD MY PUZZLES BE IF THERE WAS NO SOLUTION?”

“traps, papyrus. we’re makin’ traps to kill humans.”

“PUZZLES, THAT’S WHAT I SAID!”

“ugh, fohgeddaboudit.” Sans snapped.

“SANS, YOU ARE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE! YOU MUST SPEAK CLEARLY.” I reprimanded. “ANYWAY, AS I WAS SAYING, THERE ARE FIVE PUZZLES, BUT IF IT IS TOO HARD, YOU GET TO SKIP ONE!”

“so five puzzles, one freebee?” Sans asked.

“SANS, WE ARE NOT USING ANY FRISBEES.” I said.

“no, free-bees.” Sans said.

“THAT’S RIGHT, NO FRISBEES.”

Sans clutched his skull with his forehead, looking frustrated. “okay, okay. whatever.”

“SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?” I asked.

“well, i suppose it’s a good way to pass the time.” Sans said. “but if they get up to the final puzzle, we kill ‘em anyway, okay?”

“SANS! THAT WOULD NOT BE FAIR!” I scolded. “TO GET SO CLOSE TO THE END ONLY TO BE KILLED!”

“sure.” Sans mumbled. “whatever ya say, paps. so what do you do now?”

“NOW WE WAIT!” I announced.

“we . . . wait.” Sans echoed. “for what?”

“FOR A HUMAN!” I announced. Had Sans forgotten already?

“. . . right.” Sans said. “welp, im going to go home now.”

He turned to trek off back down the path to Snowdin Town.

“SANS!” I protested. “YOU HEARD EMPRESS UNDYNE! WE MUST BE DILIGENT! WE MUST BE READY WHEN A HUMAN APPROACHES!”

“right.” Sans said. “well how about you be diligent and i get us somethin’ to eat for dinner tonight?”

“BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR DUTIES AS A SENTRY?” I fretted. “EMPRESS UNDYNE WILL NOT BE PLEASED IF YOU LEAVE NOW!”

“whatever.” Sans mumbled. He turned and trudged off into the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating. This was going to be longer but then I realised I hadn't posted anything in over a month so you got this mess of a chapter.


	22. Author's Note

Hey guys.

For all of you who are still enjoying this story, I have some bad news. I'm putting it on pause. Whether that is temporary or permanent, I don't yet know. I just know that I'm not nearly as inspired to write this story as I used to be and updating it has become a chore rather than something I enjoy. I'm just not feeling inspired. It's not writers block, I have plenty of ideas. I just don't feel like I can write my best work on this story, and I really wish I could.

I'm sorry, and I hope you all understand and forgive me. Thanks.


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